Where It All Began (A Marauder's EraJilyWolfstar Fanfic)
by WolfstarFourthMarauder
Summary: This is a story of how it all began. The novel delves into the life of the Marauders (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs) and Severus Snape and Lily Evans, and their time at Hogwarts, ranging from Snape's bullying ordeal, to him calling Lily a mudblood, and to Lily finally saying yes to going out on a date with James (Prongs).
1. Prologue

Prologue- Lily Evans

Young Lily Evans played in the meadow what bordered her family home (which was in Cokeworth, England) with her elder sister, Petunia.

"I'll bet I can beat you from the old tree to the house, Lily!" Petunia grinned, already walking to the tall, dead oak that stood proud, its damp bark radiating a musky smell.

"You're on, Petunia!" Lily laughed, skipping ahead of her sister so that she reached the tree first.

"It stinks!" Petunia screeched, wrinkling her nose in utter disgust, before she erupted into fits of laughter with Lily, wondering what her face must've looked like.

"On three!" Petunia shouted, acting as though she was a referee at one of the Olympic races. "Ready?" She asked for confirmation to start the countdown from Lily. She grinned at her gorgeous younger sister, her ginger hair making her brown freckles what her spread across her nose stand out. Lily briefly nodded, letting Petunia know that she was god to go, before getting in position to run .

"One... Two... THREE!" Petunia yelled, racing down the grassy hills and golden patches to reach her home, where her mother was surely baking (again) and her father reading that day's local newspaper in his favourite chair. But before Lily could run, she heard a quiet: "Psst..." From behind the tree. She turned fast, her summer dress twirling as she did so. A young boy, about the same age as Lily herself, stepped from behind the tree, and stood about three yards from her. His greasy, black hair reached his shoulders, and his black eyes intimidated Lily to a point where she wanted to cry for help.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you..." The boy said to Lily, holding out his hands, stepping forward cautiously.

"W-W-Who are you?" Lily stammered, her heartbeat drowning out her own voice.

"My name is Severus. Severus Snape." He smiled. He extended an arm for her to shake, and she did so slowly. "I'm here to tell you that me and you are so alike." He added.

Lily was utterly bewildered by this boy's sudden confession-of-sorts. She didn't even know the boy, how could they be in any way similar?

"What do you mean, we are alike?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and frowning slightly. The boy grinned, and took another step forward.

"Have you ever made something happen that you didn't mean to? Has something ever happened to you what was not... Ordinary?" He asked. Lily was shocked at how the boy knew this. Just last week Lily had been sitting in the living room on her own, staring at her mother's favourite case, admiring it, when it suddenly exploded, splinters of glass cascading into all four corners of the room. Of course, she told her mother it was the cat.

"Yes... Why?" She asked. She mentally prayed to god that Petunia would come looking for her soon, realising she had not followed her in the race.

"I knew it!" He beamed, fist-pumping the air, and doing a sign what meant "kerching" with his hand. "You're a witch." The stranger said.

The whole universe around Lily Evans began to spin rapidly. Everything became blurred, except the boy facing her. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over and, and she sat on the floor, her back against the foot of the tree.

"What do you mean, I'm a witch? That's absurd!" She squealed, but somehow, she believed him, deep down.

"It isn't! Think about it! Unexplainable, weird events occurring ALWAYS when you're there. Deep down, you know I'm telling the truth. And I know you can make things happen on purpose, too." He whispered. And he was right, she could. Just the other week, she had been so angry at her father, that she wished his shampoo was hair-removal ointment. He got out of the shower that day as bald as a coot. "Try it! Stand up, and make something happen!" The boy laughed. He held out his hand to Lily, which she took once again, and pulled her to her feet. She looked around, suddenly in the mood to make something happen. And then she thought of the perfect thing. She took one last look around the meadow. The flowers, the grass, and studied it deeply, then closed her eyes, picturing it in her head. She heard the boy gasp as what she was doing registered into his mind, and then her eyes shot open, but yet she still concentrated hard. All the flowers were rising, forming into a whirlwind of nature surrounding the pair of the children. The flowers began to knot together by the stems, intertwining themselves with one another, before they created the perfect flower-wreath, and it rested n Lily's head.

The boy clapped viciously, laughing and letting out wolf-whistles. Lily laughed with him, her face going the same shade of red as her hair, and she took a bow mockingly.

"That was amazing!" The boy breathed, he was positively bewildered. But one thing that had occurred was not amazing, in fact, it was the opposite. Lily's sister, Petunia, stood about seven metres to the right of Lily, and she looked totally disgusted.

"Lily..." She stammered, stepping back a few inches. "You're a freak! I'm telling mum! You're a freak, Lily!" She sobbed, running back to the house and through the back door.

"Don't listen to her, you aren't a freak, Lily. Oh, I'm Severus, by the way." He grinned.

Lily laughed at Severus, shaking her head. "You already told me your name, silly!" She giggled. Severus blushed furiously, and moved his hair in front of his eyes as he spoke.

"Oh, yes, I did. How daft of me!" He muttered. Lily could sense he was embarrassed. So, to lighten the mood she decided to play a game. She tapped him gently on the arm.

"Tick." She whispered. She ran like a mad-woman around the meadow, Severus chasing her, and they played for about ten minutes, until Lily's mother came up the hill.

"Hello, lily. Who is this you're playing with?" Her mother asked sweetly, smiling at the young boy and her daughter. Lily tried to catch her breath before answering her mother, she didn't want to sound like a fool, after all.

"Hi, mum! This is Severus! He lives in..." Lily paused, She hadn't asked Severus where he lived.

"Spinner's End. I live in Spinner's End, Mrs. Evans." He grinned, winking at Lily. Mrs Evans stared open-mouthed at the wink, making Severus stand still, no expression on his face.

"Lily, can I talk to you for a moment?" The woman asked her daughter. Lily nodded, and walked away with her mother, leaving Severus to stand awkwardly on his own.

"Is it true, Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked Lily when they were well out of earshot.

"Is what true, mum?" Lily responded, wondering what on Earth she was going on about.

"Are you really a witch?"

Lily stood frozen, paralysed to the spot, her feet rooted to the ground. She didn't know what to say. If she said yes, would her mother react the same way her sister had? Would she brand her a freak, be mad, disown her? After all, it wasn't something she could control. Or would she be happy, congratulate Lily? She didn't know, but she thought it best to tell the truth.

"Yes, mum. It's true." Lily gulped, squeezing her eyes shut, awaiting her mother's fury what was sure to come. But it didn't. Instead, Lily was hugged by her mother, the first hug she had given her in a long time.

"Oh, Lily! That's great news! Absolutely grand! You're father will be so proud, I'm telling you now!" She bellowed, tears forming in her eyes.

"But mother, you're happy with this?" Lily asked, her mothers reaction still shocking her.

"Of course! My grandmother was a witch, honey. And when I didn't inherit the gene , I was gutted! But now you have the chance! You are going to love it! Oh, come here!" She answered, and she pulled her daughter into a tight embrace for a solid two whole minutes, before Lily pulled away.

"Now, you go back to your friend..." Mrs. Evans said. Lily sensed that her mother disapproved of her choice of having Severus as her friend, until Lily told her the news.

"Mum, he's a wizard!" Lily smiled, and took great pleasure in watching her mother's jaw drop. Lily turned and skipped back to Severus, before turning back to her mother.

"Mum, can Severus come for tea tonight?" She asked, batting her luscious eyelashes, what she knew always let her get her own way.

"Sure thing, honey!" She responded. Mrs. Evans returned to the family home, leaving Lily and Severus in the company of themselves.

"Um.. Thanks?" He murmured.

"No problem!" Lily responded.

Lily grabbed Severus by the hand and they walked together down to the house, were they were greeted by Lily's father, who hugged his daughter and shook the hand of her new best friend.


	2. Chapter One

Lily Evans was eight when she found out that she was a witch. She had been told by a boy her age who lived nearby her, Severus Snape. Now she was eleven years old, and it was a week until she was to begin her academic life at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Lily knocked on the door of her sister, Petunia's, bedroom.

"Tuney," that was her nickname what Lily called her, "please talk to me., It's been three years!" Lily begged. You see, when the family found out that Lily had inherited her great-grandmother's magical gene, Petunia acted as though she was disgusted, and that she would not be related to 'such a freak', but everybody apart from Lily knew it was out of jealousy.

"No! I'm not talking to freaks!" Was her response, and Lily decided to leave it at that. She walked to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red from crying so much, she had never really gotten over her sister abandoning her. She constantly wished that she hadn't become a witch, and that it would just go away, but at the same time she couldn't wait t arrive at Hogwarts, and see what adventures she would be faced with. She grabbed the plastic handle of her hairbrush, and began to brush the knots and tangles from her hair, wincing at the painful drags.

"Lily! Come down here, please!" Lily's father yelled from downstairs.

"Coming!" She replied. She placed the hairbrush on the edge of the bathtub, and raced downstairs, arriving in the living room to be face by her mother and father, standing side by side. "What is it dad?" She asked, concerned by her parent's facial expressions. But she learned that she had nothing to worry about.

"Because you're leaving next week, we've decided to have a party for you, tonight. Do you want one?" Her mother asked her. Lily grinned an ear-to-ear grin. A party, for her! And it wasn't even her birthday!

"Sure! Thanks, mum! Thanks, dad!" She hugged them both, gratitude overwhelming her. She turned and ran upstairs.

"And invite Sev! We like him!" Her mother shouted behind her, making her smile even more. Severus was now her best friend, they did everything together, and the fact that her parents liked him meant that she could have him over any time, which Lily found great. Lily skipped to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her, and sat at her desk, pulling a pen and notepad from a drawer, and began to write a letter to her sister. It read:

_Dear Tuney,_

_I'm leaving for school soon, and I can't leave without trying to fix things one last time. I don't know why you hate me, but know this: I don't hate you, and it saddens me that you hate me, I love you , Tuney. Please talk to me again, make me happy before I leave for school._

_Lots of love, _

_Lily xxx_

__She heard creaks on the floorboards outside her room, then Petunia's shrill voice screeching the house down. "Mum! I'm taking a bath! Don't come in the bathroom!" She screamed. Petunia's yelling was followed by the bathroom door slamming, and the sloshing of water. _She must've run it while I was_ _downstairs__. _She thought, remembering there was no water in the bath as she brushed her hair. Lily thought the opportunity was golden, and picked her letter up, folded it up, and tiptoed to Petunia's bedroom. She snook inside silently, and walked over to the bed, placing the letter on Petunia's pillow. As she turned to walk out of the room, something caught Lily's eye. It was a letter that someone had written to Petunia, it looked like a reply to something. Lily picked it up cautiously, scanning the letter. Something was attached to the back, and when Lily checked, she realised it was the letter Petunia had written to somebody, the person had sent it back attached to their reply.

And what shocked Lily even more, was that the letter was addressed to Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts. It read:

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_My name is Petunia Evans, sister to Lily Evans. My sister has recently received a letter from your school, and I would like to ask whether I could join. I would really like to be a witch like my little sister, and even though I'm not magical, I could learn, couldn't I? Please get back to me ASAP, as my sister leaves on 1st September._

_Thank you,_

_Petunia Evans._

Lily gasped at the letter. Petunia didn't hate her because she was a freak, Petunia hated her because she was jealous... She wanted to be like her... Now it was time to read Dumbledore's reply.

_Dear Petunia Evans,_

_I give my sincerest apologies, but one can not just learn magic. If you had magical abilities, then I would gladly let you join our ranks, but I sadly cannot. I have heard of your sister, and we await her arrival. Again, I am so sorry, Petunia._

_Yours sincerely, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, _

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Lily clasped her hand to her mouth, placing the letter back on the desk with her other hand. She couldn't believe it... She felt so sorry for Petunia...

Two hours later, the doorbell rang, signalling that the first guests had arrived for Lily's send off. Because regular-people were not allowed to know about magic, they were told that Lily was going to a boarding school in Sweden. She trotted slowly down the spiralling staircase in her house, wearing her best dress and best dress shoes, and was greeted with wolf-whistles from her aunt, uncle and Sev.

"Give us a twirl Lily!" Her uncle shouted, and him and his wife pretended to be paparazzi, snapping photos with their phones and shouting: "Look over here Miss Evans!" That made her giggle. She hugged them all, and gave Sev an extra long hug.

"You look dashing, Sev!" Lily squealed, linking her arm through his and dragging him into the dining room, where a giant buffet was spread out across the dining table.

"You look quite the sight, yourself." Sev grinned, tucking in to a bite-size sausage roll.

They danced to music and played games like tick all night, just the two of them, as everybody around them mingled. And then it became nine o'clock.

"Sev, honey, you'll have to go home now! It's getting late now, your mother will be worried." Mrs. Evans chimed, hugging Sev sweetly.

"I doubt it..." He murmured, but low enough that only he could hear.

"Lily, show Sev to the door." Mr. Evans smiled, waving Sev out of the room. As they left, Lily and Sev heard comment such as 'such a nice boy' and 'lovely child' and 'Lily's lucky to have such a sweet friend!' They all made Severus smile.

"Goodnight, Sev. I've had a great time today." Lily sang, hugging him. He inhaled her sweet scent. She smelt like flowers, and perfume, and her her smelt of apple shampoo. He wanted to savour that moment forever, but sadly, he couldn't. He pulled away from her. "So have I, Lily." He responded. But an action he responded with shocked Lily to the core. Even Sev couldn't believe he had done it until it was too late, but he couldn't help himself. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

Fireworks went off inside Sev's head, even though it had only been on the cheek, it was a start. He grinned and walked away, down the road and into Spinner's End. Lily still stood on the step, disgusted. It had felt totally wrong, she felt sick. She wiped her cheek thoroughly before she shut the front door, returning to the living room.

_James Potter_

__Thousands of people (adults and children) were crowded on the platform, but James Potter and his friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were sat in their cabin, discussing the quidditch league.

"No, no, no, no, no! The Bulgarian national team are obviously the best!" Sirius protested, shaking his head so his hair became even more wild than it already was.

"Sirius, what quidditch are you watching? Chudley Canons are by far better than Bulgaria!" Peter argued. Everybody shut up and stared at Peter.

"Peter, although I hate to admit it, even I have to agree with Sirius here. Chudley Canons are worse than my grandmother on a broom!" James laughed. "You know what team I like?" He asked, making them all intrigued. "The Holyhead Harpies!" He said to raised eyebrows. "They might not be good, but them girls..."

"Alright James, we get it!" Remus howled with laughter.

The group of four eleven year old boys sat in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express, in stitches of laughter over James' remark.

The train's whistle gave a final blow, before the wheels were set in motion, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, all standing on the platform, waving goodbye to their loved ones for another year.

"Do you reckon, at Hogwarts, we'll be fighting dragons and stuff?" James asked eagerly, fixing his glasses so they were straight.

"Ohhh I hope so!" Squealed Peter.

"Probably not, James. We're only first-years, they aren't going to give us such a menacing task, when we don't have a clue what we're doing!" Remus stated.

"Ooooo, get on you using big words." Sirius giggled, making them all laugh once again.

"We need to all stick together, from now until seventh-year, even if we're in different houses! So we need a name. A cool name, something... Mischievous!" Gasped Sirius.

The four boys concentrated hard, searching within their brain to find the perfect name for their little gang.

"How about: The Bandits of Hogwarts!" Peter suggested, hoping they would take his idea.

"C'mon, Peter. What are we, four?" Remus barked. "Now think sensibly, no stupid, silly names." He added.

Over the next ten minutes, name's for their posse were shouted out, such as: 'The Mayhem-Makers' and 'Hogwarts Hasslers' until Remus came up with the perfect name. A name so great that it would stick with them through their whole life at Hogwarts, and maybe even beyond that.

"The Marauders!" Remus yelled. All of the other three boys quietened down, intrigued by this wonderful name.

"What does marauders mean?" James asked. He had never even heard of the word!

"It means... It's sort of like a thief, basically." Remus responded to James' question.

"Remus! It's brilliant!" Sirius laughed. "We're the marauders!" They all put their hands in the middle and created what would soon become the "Marauder's Shake" , and what would possibly bind them forever.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two-

Lily and Sev sat on the scarlet train, named The Hogwarts Express, mindlessly staring out of the window at the rolling hills and woodland they passed by. There had been an awkward tension between the pair since Severus had kissed Lily on the night of her leaving-do. They hadn't spoken since they sat down, and even on the platform it had only been mumbling, one-syllable answers to each other. Lily looked away from the window and carried on reading her copy of Hogwarts: A History what she had bought in Diagon Alley, the magical alleyway full of shops where you could buy robes, pets, (Lily had bought a lovely mahogany-coloured owl and named it Stan. She didn't know why, she just found the name funny.), and books. The book shop was called Flourish and Blotts, and that was where she acquired her book, written by Bathilda Bagshot. She was at a really interesting part, or so she thought, about muggle (non-magical people) devices not working on school grounds, when Severus snatched the book from her hands and placed it next to him.

"Alright, Lily, the game's over. What is wrong with you? I've noticed that you've been off with me since the platform, and it hasn't gotten any better sitting in a train compartment with you!" Severus exploded, desperately seeking the answer to his question.

"It's obvious!" Lily hissed. "Now give me back my book, or I'll hex you!" She snarled, but it only made him snigger.

"You should know that you're not allowed to use spells outside of Hogwarts." He answered, and fuel to her already almighty fire.

"Well I'll just wait 'til we get there!" She spat. They were now in each other's faces.

"Besides, you don't know any spells, so you're talking absolute rubbish!" He mocked, leaning back into his chair, folding one leg over the other and acting like he was the superior of them both.

"I know the contents of Standard Book of Spells: Grade One cover to cover, you idiot. Now give. Me. Back. My. Book!" She roared, her face going deep velvet.

Severus look taken aback by her fury, and slowly handed the book back to her, his hand shaking as he did so.

"Sev," Lily sighed, resting the book on her lap and placing her hands atop of it. "I'm sorry. It's just... Since you kissed me on the cheek the other day... It's been awkward between us, you know? It just felt... Wrong." She breathed, glad that it was finally off of her chest, and the air would no longer be sour between them.

Severus sighed, running a hand through his permanently-greasy hair. "Lily, that was a friendly kiss, nothing more!" He lied. "I wouldn't jeopardise our friendship like that! I swear to you." He added. Lily grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. "Oh, I knew that's what you would say! And to think I've been so worried!" She laughed, and then there was a knock on the compartment door. Lily sat back in her spot, and the pair of them turned their heads to see a lovely old woman with a cart bursting with sweets and goodies. "Anything from the trolley, m'dears?" The woman asked, giving them both a warm smile. The two children couldn't help but smile back, this woman's smile was seriously contagious!

Severus and Lily got up to inspect the trolley, and after minutes of rifling through the sweets, they finally decided.

"I'll have two chocolate frogs please." Severus stated politely, handing his money to the woman, and after she put it into her purse what was attached to her waist, she gave him what he had requested.

"And you, love?" The woman asked Lily. But Lily was too busy rifling through her purse, trying to find money. The compartment door next to hers slid open, and a boy came out. He had brown, fair-hair and black, thin glasses. He was obviously the same age as Lily and Severus themselves, but a bit taller than Lily was.

"I'll have a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans, please." The boy asked, handing his money over. She gave him an oddly-shaped box, full with what looked like jelly beans. "And whatever she's having." He grinned, noticing she was still rummaging through her stuff.

Lily looked up, the fact he was talking about her finally dawning on her. "I'm not a charity case, thank you very much..." She snapped. "But I'll have the same as him. He's paying." She grinned. He laughed, handing over some more money, and the woman gave Lily her beans, before moving on to the next compartment.

"I'm James. James Potter." He said, holding out his hand.

"Lily Evans." Lily replied, taking his hand graciously, but instead of shaking it, he kissed it softly. "Erm... What are you doing?" She giggled. _Oh lord, he's so cheesy! _Lily thought. The whole scenario reminded her of something from a movie, where the man would by a random stranger a drink, flirting with her.

"Charming you." He grinned, pulling away.

"Well it's not working." She replied, flicking her hair away after it fell in front of her eyes.

"Oh, but it is."

"It isn't, trust me."

"Is."

"Isn't."

"Is."

"Okay, while you stand here, in TOTAL denial, I'm going to go back into my compartment, and see whatever these are." She looked at the box in her hand. She walked back into the compartment and just as she closed the door, she heard him say:

"Later, pretty eyes."

She giggled even more. She resumed her seat opposite Severus, and popped open the box of every flavoured beans.

"I'd be careful, if I were you." Sev sniggered, hiding behind his chocolate frog card.

"Of what?" Lily asked cautiously, glancing into the contents of the box.

"What you pull out. They're true to their name, there is EVERY flavour. Bogey, vomit, strawberry, earwax, mint, you name it." He replied, and began reading a newspaper that had been left in the compartment, called "The Daily Prophet". Something peculiar that Lily noticed was, the pictures moved. She stared in utter disbelief, at a man shaking a woman's hand, and something about ministry of magic, whatever that was. But, despite Snape's warning, Lily dove into the box, and pulled a bean out. It was grey with black flecks all over it. Didn't look good, probably wasn't going to taste good, but oh well! She popped it into her mouth and began to chew, before spitting it back out.

"That is revolting!" She blurted, wiping her tongue to rid of any foul taste left behind.

"What flavour was it?" Snape asked, smirking evilly.

"Broccoli! I mean, who likes VEGETABLES?" She roared. They bother laughed for a while until she threw a bean at Snape. "Eat." She demanded, giving her most menacing glare at him. Obediently, he began to munch on the bean, and swallowed it, licking his lips.

"Flavour?" Lily asked, dying to know why it tasted so good.

"Watercress!" He boasted, "My favourite!"

Lily made a pretend gagging noise at this, before closing the box and setting it in her trunk, saving them for later.

_James_

James walked back into his compartment and threw the box of Every Flavoured Beans he had bought at Peter. "Have those." He said, sitting down next to Sirius. Peter tucked into the beans within an instant, shovelling handful after handful into his oversized mouth.

"Slow down there, Peter. You'll give yourself a seizure!" Sirius laughed. Peter blushed furiously, burying his head in a book.

Remus noticed something different about James; he was acting... like he was in a trance.

"James, what's up? You seem... Happy?" Remus suggested, making all three marauders except James avert their eyes to him.

"Well, if you INSIST on me telling you," he gasped in a melodramatic tone. "When I was getting sweets outside, there was a girl there... She was gorgeous... Ginger hair, freckles spread across her nose, and emerald green eyes. I tried to charm her, but it didn't work!" He cried. He grabbed hold of Sirius by the collar and shook him violently, pretending to sob. "Why didn't it work?" He cried. Sirius pried James' hands from his collar, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Did you kiss her hand?" He quizzed his friend. James nodded, pouting like a child who had been yelled at. "Well that's probably why then!" He laughed.

James frowned, making his spectacles fall further down his nose. "What do you mean, Sirius?" James pondered, wondering how on earth his perfect plan could've been a major flop because of a kiss on the hand.

"Well, for starters, you had only just met the girl. And we're eleven, James, not twenty! And we don't live in the 16th century." He reasoned. James had to agree with him, he could see why she might've been a little spooked.

The sky outside f the train grew darker and darker as the train progressed on its journey, and there was a knock on the compartment door. A man wearing a conductor's uniform coked his head in and looked around the room.

"Right boys! It's time to get changed into your robes! We will be arriving at Hogwarts in approximately twenty minutes." He smiled, before exiting and making his way to Lily's cabin next door.

"I'm going to the bathroom to get changed." Remus announced. Sirius perked up instantly.

"I'll go aswell." He spoke, running out of the compartment and after his friend.

James unbuckled his trunk and pulled out his flowing red and black robes. "Peter. Turn around, so you can't see me undress." He said. Peter obeyed, twisting around in his seat. He stripped down to his underwear, when Lily walked through the open compartment door. "I was just wondering if-" She stopped, seeing James. He grabbed his robes and covered himself up with them.

"Bloody hell!" He yelled, turning a bright crimson.

Lily couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "Never mind, then." She laughed, shutting the door and trotting away. James sighed heavily, slipping into his robes. _I've just blown my chances of ever getting with her, then! _He thought to himself, along with yelling some profanities in his mind.

"Um, James. Just so you know... You're meant to wear your clothes underneath your robes, not just your underwear." Peter murmured.

After the whole fiasco, Sirius and Remus finally returned, their robes on WITH clothes on underneath. James was now fully dressed, also. "What took you guys so long?" James asked, hoping that Peter wouldn't tell them of the incident with Lily. Otherwise he would never live it down.

"The queue for the loo is massive! There's only one toilet, so there was only a small room to get changed. Luckily, there was no wee on the floor!" Remus let out a sigh of relief. Before either of the returning boys could sit down, the train came to a stop, smoke billowing past the boys' window and this whistle blowing one final time.

Everybody pushed and shoved until they were outside in the fresh air, standing on the platform to Hogsmeade Station. It was dark; the only light sources were the stars and a giant's oil lamp. Yes, I said a giant's oil lamp.

"First years over 'ere teh me!" The giant shouted, beckoning to all first years with his large, clammy hand. All of the first years bustled over, and James desperately tried to hide from Lily, but his plan sadly failed.

"Nice boxers. What were those on them? Little tiny stars? How cute?" She whispered in his ear, giggling. When he looked up, however, she was gone, standing next to Severus.

"Do any of you guys know who that greasy-haired git is?" James asked his posse. Peter and Remus simultaneously shook their heads, but Sirius knew exactly who he was.

"That's Severus Snape." He responded, his icy tone slicing through the air.

"How do you know that?" James asked, wanting to know why he seemed not to like Severus.

"Because my parents are friends with his. We've known each other since birth. He's a nasty piece of work." Sirius snarled, and James took it as a hint to go off the topic of Snape.

"Right! My name is 'Agrid! I'm the 'Ogwarts groundskeeper, and I'm 'ere to escort you up teh the castle! Now, follow me!" Hagrid yelled, lifting his lantern above his head and starting down a narrow path, making everybody walk single-file, unless they wanted to be lost in the forest that bordered the path.

Everybody followed the giant, until they reached a widespread lake, what ranged from where they stood, to the castle, about a mile over the water.

"How is he planning to get us over there?" Peter asked, but before any of the boys could answer, Hagrid made about one hundred boats appear and then announced: "Five people to a boat!" Before scanning around. "You there, and you next to 'im, and young lady at the back, boy next to her, and you please, come on the boat with me." He asked, pulling the selected kids to the front. James' worst nightmare at the moment had come true.

Hagrid rowed across the lake, and in the boat with him was James, Sirius, Remus, Severus and Lily. Lily kept whispering things to Severus, and then she would glance at James and giggle.

"Looks like she fancies you, James! She can't keep her eyes off you!" Remus whispered into his friends' ear. James grinned, the first time since he had first seen Lily on the train.

"I hope so." Was James' reply. "I've got a feeling me and her are going to be together some day." He added, and then the boat stopped. They were at Hogwarts.


End file.
